XMen Evolution  A New Face
by Ashlockley
Summary: Set after the first few episodes of Season 3. The Xavier Institute has been rebuilt, and its students are returning to the ruins of their previous lives. What will happen when an attractive new boy arrives at Bayville with a few secrets of his own?
1. Chapter 1

**X-Men Evolution**

**A New Face**

The sun rose over Bayville, signaling the beginning of a new day. In a large mansion in the suburbs, several alarm clocks went off, accompanied by many annoyed grunts, and people started to get ready for the day.

But not her. Not Rogue. She had already spent the whole night awake, trying to keep the nightmares at bay, and now she was way too tired to get out of bed. She groaned as the alarm went off and reaches over, hitting the snooze button. Sighing in relief at the silence, she pulled the covers over her head.

_Bamf_. "Come on, sis! You're gonna be late!" Kurt attempted to pull the covers off Rogue, but she held onto them tightly. However, he eventually won.

With her emerald eyes flaring, Rogue locked a glare on her brother. "What is ya problem, Kurt? Ah was gonna get up anyways!"

"But-" He was cut off by a flying pillow in the face, which knocked him backwards.

"Get out. Now. If ya like ya fur on ya body." With a noise that sounded somewhat like a yelp, Kurt teleported away and Rogue smirked. Getting off the bed, she went into the bathroom to take a shower.

As the cold water hit her head, the southern girl gasped a little and turned the hot water dial up. The water warmed up and she stayed there for a while, letting the water cascade over her whole body. The constant lack of sleep was taking its toll on her. _Mebbe Ah'll talk to the Professor 'bout it,_ Rogue thought. She switched the shower off and stepped out, taking a towel to dry herself.

After a moment, Rogue got dressed and headed downstairs for breakfast. As she went into the kitchen, she bumped into a person and was about to make a remark when she noticed who it was.

"Oh... Mawning, Scott," she mumbled, keeping the blush from showing on her face.

"Morning, Rogue. Sorry about bumping into you."

"It's okay. Ah'll see ya round." She scooted away quickly from Scott, leaving him standing there looking a little confused. Grabbing a spoon, Rogue poured some cereal and milk into a bowl and dug in.

Logan walked in with a cup of coffee in one hand and a newspaper in the other and sat down opposite her. "Morning, Stripes." Rogue mumbled her response and continued munching. "Not sleeping again, are you?"

"Of course not! Whaddya expect!" She snapped at him. Logan looked at her with surprise. "Sorry," she sighed. "Stress."

"Look, why don't you stay here for today? I'll get Chuck to see what he can do."

"Ah'll be fine, Logan, and besides, Ah need ta hand in an assignment today. Ah'll talk ta the Professor after school, 'kay?"

Logan opened his mouth as if he was about to object, but closed it again. "Okay. But if you don't feel good, tell Slim to drive you home, right?"

"Raight." That would be a problem in itself, but she didn't want to mention her crush to anyone, let alone Logan. Finishing up, she rinsed off the bowl and placed it on the drying rack, and grabbed a ride in the X-Van to school.

* * *

><p>As Rogue walked to her classroom, she ignored the glances everyone was shooting her and the occasional call of "go home". She was joined by Kitty, who was smiling from ear to ear. "Hey, Rogue, I heard there's like a totally hot guy starting in our class today!"<p>

"Ah'm nawt interested, Kitty," Rogue replied. Ah _wouldn't be able to do anything if Ah was,_ she thought gloomily to herself.

"Still, like, totally hung up on Scott, huh?" Kitty made a sympathetic face. "You've gotta get over that."

"Ah was never pinin' ovah Scott!" Rogue said indignantly. Her friend rolled her eyes as they entered the classroom, where the teacher was already doing a register.

"You're late, you two," said the teacher. "Find a seat quickly and then we'll start." Kitty put on an immediate burst of speed and bagged the one next to Lance, leaving Rogue a choice of the two desks of the empty back row. Muttering darkly to herself, she sat down and got out her books and a pen.

"Right, class, today we have a new student coming in from Burbank, California. I hope you'll make him very comfortable here." The teacher beckoned at the door and it swung open, allowing a boy to step in. At that precise moment, all the girls drew in a sharp breath. This new boy was tall and very well-built, considering his age, with a head of wavy brown hair and stunningly blue eyes.

"Hi," he greeted. Several girls swooned at his rich British accent. "I'm Matthew Quincy. Pleased to meet you." Kitty smiled dreamily, causing Lance to scowl at the new boy, and even Rogue found herself drawn to him. Shaking her head, she diverted her gaze to her textbooks, suddenly finding them very interesting.

"Thank you, Matthew. Now, if you'll sit down, we'll begin at page thirty-nine - momentum and impulse." There was a collective groan from the class as they turned to the page, and the new boy hurried to the back, turning several heads on the way. He sat down and leaned over with a cocky smile to Rogue, who decided to ignore him.

"Hi, I'm Matt."

"Ah heard." was the curt reply.

"Um, I know it would be annoying for me to ask, but can I share your textbook with you? I only got here yesterday, so I didn't really have enough time to get everything."

Rogue sighed. "Fine, ya can."

"Thanks. Oh, I forgot to ask for your name."

"It's Rogue." She turned her attention back to the teacher, who was currently writhing down several formulae on the blackboard.

"That's not actually your name, is it? Come on, you can tell me."

"Bite me," Rogue answered and directed a thin smile at him.

"Ouch, that hurt," came the sarcastic reply. Matt flicked open a notebook and started to write. "I felt that deeply, Rogue, any chance you could apologise?" He directed what appeared to be a smoulder at Rogue, who groaned and attempted to continue ignoring him.

At the end of the lesson, Rogue packed up her stuff as quickly as she could and made a beeline for the door, only to be stopped at the doorway by Matt. "Get outta mah way, Matt."

"Aww, I mean well, I do! I was just wondering whether you were doing anything tonight. Maybe we could go see a movie together?" He directed a more normal smile at Rogue.

"Thanks, but no thanks." Rogue replied. She noticed a group of girls in the corridor shooting looks of disgust at her and her expression hardened. "Why don't ya hurry over to ya fan club? They seem ta be missing ya terribly." With that, she barged past him and walked off with a huff, leaving Matt in bewilderment.

The girls ran over. "Hi," introduced one of them. "I'm Natasha." She was a typical cheerleader type, blonde, blue-eyed, average height.

"Hi," he replied, his smile back in place. Natasha looked at her posse, which nodded excitedly, and she giggled. "I'm sorry, what did you want?"

She giggled again. "Well, are you free tonight?" Matt nodded. "Would you like to see a movie with me then?"

"Um, sure," Matt answered, glancing over her shoulder to see whether Rogue was still there. "Can I ask you one thing, though?" Natasha nodded, smiling. "Who was that girl I was sitting next to during the lesson?"

Natasha frowned. "I would be careful about being near her. She's one of them - a mutant. Anyways," she put on a smile again, "I'll see you later at lunch, okay?"

"Sure." As Natasha (and her annoying giggle) and her friends walked away, Matt groaned to himself. "Great. Another bigoted school." He thought back to his encounter with Rogue. "No wonder why she's so touchy."

Entering the classroom, Rogue noticed that her usual seat was occupied by another girl, who gave her a dirty glance. "What are you looking at, mutie?"

The southern girl suppressed a rise of anger and stormed off to a different seat in the corner of the room, with a horrible sound of laughter behind her. The teacher entered and all the noise dulled down to a muttering.

"Today we will begin a paired project. You and and your partner will produce a poster on a battle in the Second World War. Deadline is in two weeks." The muttering rose in volume as the students began arranging themselves in groups, and the teacher tapped loudly on his desk with his ruler. "I've already taken the liberty of drawing up groups so that there won't be any hassle." This produced a loud groan from the class. "I'll read the groups out now: Elizabeth and James, Rebecca and Lucas, Kate and Henry, Rogue and Matthew…" A loud sigh of disappointment sounded from the table where all the "normal" girls were sat and Rogue could almost feel their gazes boring holes in her back. The teacher finished reading out the pairings and allowed the groups to begin their work.

"Great, it's ya again," muttered Rogue as Matt sat down next to her. "Let's get his over and done with so you can go sit with your "normal" friends." She flicked through her textbook.

"Look," Matt replied with annoyance evident in his voice. "Frankly, I don't really care if you're a mutant or not, and I feel a little insulted that you've made the automatic assumption that I'm just like the others."

This statement surprised Rogue, who had thoroughly expected the new guy to be the typical jock. "Oh, ah, um, Ah'm sorry," she mumbled in embarrassment and Matt relaxed. "It's just that Ah'm used ta people being so narrah-minded."

"Don't worry about it," he replied. "So, which battle do you think we should do? Stalingrad? Normandy?"

"Normandy sounds good," Rogue said.

After several more lessons of Matt sitting next to her, Rogue was decidedly feeling better. Kitty bounced along her, but her energy seemed a little less abundant than usual. "School's been like, totally terrible!" she complained. "Everyone keeps staring and pointing! And Kurt's still wearing his image inducer." She stuck her tongue out.

"It's pretty much tha same for me, but it turns out the new guy is fine with us, and he's been real nice."

Kitty's ears perked up. "What? As in Matthew Quincy, the guy who's got every single girl in our year to have a crush on him?" Rogue nodded. "Totally surprised."

"Me too." Rogue glimpsed Matt running down the hall, clutching his hand, and she could have sworn she saw a spark of electricity fly from his hand. Dismissing it as a trick of light, she and her friend headed to the quad to have lunch.

Matt kicked the toilet door open and slammed it shut behind him. He ran into a cubicle and locked himself in before uncovering his hand. "Shit, shit, shit," he swore. "This cannot be happening. Not now."

His hand was bathed in a green glow with the occasional spark fizzling across the surface of his skin. Matt closed his eyes and tried to will it away, and after a moment he opened his eyes. His hand was no longer sparking, but was still a slight shade of green. Sighing with relief, he reached for the door handle.

The instant his hand made contact with the door, it lit up like a neon light again and the door shimmered, before promptly disintegrating into a puddle on the floor. Matt's eyes widened in surprise and he hastily made an exit before anybody could catch him.

Rogue sat down at a table and picked up her sandwich, and was about to take a bite when she was interrupted by Kurt, who had decided to make an appearance.

"Hey, Rogue," started Kurt. "I'm really zorry about zi-"

"Ah'm not angry at ya, Kurt. Just don't do it again, 'kay?"

"No problem, sis." He looked relieved. "Um, so how's things?"

"As good as they can be with our secret out." She noticed Kitty staring pointedly at her. "Oh, and Kurt, Kitty's decided not to talk to you until you stop hiding who you really are from the school."

"But I'm not ready to yet." Kurt looked sad. "I like being treated like normal and zat's all going to vanish if I show myself to everybody."

Kitty harrumphed and took a bite of her sandwich. "That means that you should know who your real friends are," Rogue translated. "And personally, Kurt, Ah'd have to agree with her."

Any response Kurt might have come up with was interrupted by a loud shout of "We don't want you here!" from a group of jocks walking past. Rogue ignored them and finished her lunch.

"If ya'd excuse me, Ah have to meet someone." She walked to the other side of the quad, where she found a blonde girl trying to drape herself on Matt. "Ahem."

"Mind your own business, freak," Natasha told her, turning back to Matt. "So, Matt, I'll see you tonig-" She was pulled off by an angry Rogue.

"Listen, girl, Ah am not a freak, or a monster, or any of tha things ya keep calling me," Rogue said forcefully. "Ya better back tha hell offa me, or mebbe Ah'll show ya what Ah can do." Natasha looked surprised and didn't make any kind of retort as she sidled away.

"Whoa, you put her down good!" Matt chortled once Natasha had left.

"She deserved every bit of that," Rogue answered.

"Well, looks like I'm going to have to cancel on her, then, 'cause I'd much rather go out with you." This caused Rogue to blush furiously. "I'll take that as a yes. I'll see you you at the cinema, say, around seven?"

Everything, every alarm, every warning signal in Rogue's brain was going off, telling her not to, but she found herself nodding. Matt smiled.

"Now come on, let's get some work done. This poster isn't going to make itself, you know."

* * *

><p>After school Rogue was back in her bedroom and panicking. "What was Ah thinking? There's no way Ah can go through with this. Ah mean, what if he tries ta kiss me, or maybe if Ah accidentally touch him?" She continued stalking up and down the room whilst her roommate watched her, bemused.<p>

"Like, Rogue, you're getting way too worried about this! You're not gonna like, touch him accidentally 'cause you're always real careful, and if he does try to kiss you, then just tell him you wanna take things slow."

"Ya don't understand! Tha whole no-touching-taking-things-slow thing's not gonna last forevah, and he's eventually going to try something, and it's not gonna be pretty." Rogue drew in a long breath. "Ah can't do this. Ah'll tell him it's off."

Rogue reached for her phone but Kitty beat her to it, snatching it away from the top of the dresser. "Rogue, like, listen to me. Matt sounds like a really nice guy, I mean, he doesn't even care that you're a mutant! If you tell him about what your powers are, I'm sure he'll understand."

Still looking dubiously at her friend, Rogue answered, "Ah still think this is a bad ahdea."

"Like, don't be so totally pessimistic. What's the worst that could happen?"

* * *

><p>At seven o'clock sharp, Rogue was standing outside the cinema, glancing intermittently at her watch and looking around for Matt, who was yet to show up. "Calm down, girl," she muttered to herself. "He's just late, nahthing ta worry about."<p>

She looked down at herself and although she would never admit it openly, she thought that trusting Kitty to choose what she should wear was definitely a good idea. The valley girl had managed to persuade her to drop her usual Goth appearance for something more casual. Rogue wasn't exactly sure how Kitty had even managed to do so, although she did phase Rogue's makeup set through the floor in order to stop her from getting any ideas.

The southern girl had substantially less makeup on than usual, just a bit of brown eyeliner to "highlight the emeralds you have for eyes", as Kitty put it. She was wearing a button-up blue blouse with rolled up sleeves, with a pair of jeans which her roommate had lent her. Rogue had also chosen a pair of elbow-length light blue gloves to go with the entire ensemble.

She felt a tap on her shoulder and whirled around, and her breath caught in her throat. Matt was wearing a white polo shirt, which was very tight fitting. If she concentrated hard enough, Rogue could see his pecs and abs showing through the fabric, and this caused a rosy tinge to appear on her face.

"Hey," Matt greeted. He took in her new image and smiled appreciatively. "You look great, Rogue." His gaze lingered on her hands, and Rogue began to get a sinking feeling. But that feeling evaporated in less than a second as he took her gloved hand in his own before Rogue even had time to try and resist.

"Matt, Ah need ta-" Rogue began to talk, but Matt stopped her with a slight squeeze on her hand, almost making her shiver in excitement.

"I heard about your mutation," he told her. "One of your friends told me, what's his name, Sammy, Sean, whatever. Not important. I just wanted to let you know that I don't mind and I definitely won't try anything."

"Oh." That was the only response Rogue offered, since her brain was lagged up on the fact that Matt seemed like a dream come true. A dream come true, plus a whole load of extras. Meaning his muscles. And his charming personality.

"So, what do you want to watch?" Matt glanced at the movie posters. "Anything at all."

"Ah'm not really one for soppy chick flicks," replied Rogue. "What about this one? Equilibrium?"

"Sure! I was gunning for that one too."

After the film finished, they stepped out of the cinema. "So, do you want to get some dinner now?" Matt asked.

"That sounds good," Rogue answered.

"Let's go then." Matt took a step forward and then all of a sudden the ground started to tremble. Earthquakes didn't just happen in downtown Bayville, which meant only one thing. "Damn Brothahood," muttered Rogue, looking around to spot any of them.

"What the?" said Matt. Suddenly, something rushed past him, too quick to be seen, and knocked him over. He landed onto his back with a grunt.

"Hello, my dear Rogue," said a voice from behind her and she whirled around to see Mystique reverting back to her usual form. This caused the other movie goers to scream and scatter. Rogue threw a punch and a kick at her but Mystique simply dodged around.

"Now, now, Rogue," the woman said in a mocking voice. "That's no way to treat your mother."

"Ya're not my mother!" shouted the southern girl, lunging forward again. Mystique sighed as she pivoted around her and twisted her right arm into an armlock.

"If you insist, dearest. Pietro, will you take our guest back?"

The white-haired youth nodded and was about to take Rogue when he was felled by a vicious right hook. Matt smirked.

"Go, Rogue, I'll hold them off."

"Bu-"

Matt shoved her unceremoniously out and turned his attention to the blue-skinned mutant in front of him.

"Feeling confident, aren't you, boy?"

Matt rubbed his palms together. "Hell yeah."

The ground shook and Rogue stumbled, twisting her ankle as she fell to the ground. She winced as she tried to stand, but toppled over. _Shit. Shit. Ah'm in trouble_. People all around were screaming and scattered away from the approach of Blob, who picked up a nearby car, and he grinned evilly as he aimed it at her.

"X-Man pancake!" he shouted happily. Rogue shut her eyes. _Help_.

"Put the Honda down, Tubby!" shouted a familiar voice. Opening her eyes slowly, she saw Matt standing in front of her in a fighting stance. He looked a little worse for wear and was sporting forming bruises on his arms.

"What tha hell are ya doing? Get outta here!" The southern girl shouted.

"No can do, Rogue."

Blob, enraged by Matt's insult, roared angrily and threw the car, and at that moment, time seemed to slow down. The car flew forward, almost lazily, and Matt span, crouchung down as he did so, and ran his index and middle fingers across the surface of the ground. Rogue swore that she could see sparks pass from his hand to the concrete.

Suddenly, the ground behind him seemed to wobble a little, like jelly, and Matt thrust his hands forwards at the car. The concrete, now more like a liquid, reared up and shot forward, striking the car and sending it flying back at Blob. It bowled him over and he flew backwards into a wall.

Matt rushed back to Rogue's side and helped her up. "We have to get out of here. Now."

Rogue's jaw hung. "Wha... wha... you're a mutant!"

"You're kidding!" he replied sarcastically. "I'll bring you home. Let's go!"

"Why didn't ya didn't tell me?"

Matt helped Rogue into the passenger seat of his car. "News tends to spread." He hopped into the driver seat and turned on the ignition.

"Wait, are ya even old enough to drive?"

"I think being arrested for underage driving is the last on my very long list of problems."

* * *

><p>Logan rushed out as a jet black Grand Torino rolled up and a teenager got out with Rogue. "Who is this, Stripes?"<p>

"Logan, this is Matt, Matt, Logan. Now can we see the Professor? It's urgent!" She pushed past Logan, who gave Matt a dirty look.

"What's with your dad?" asked Matt. "He doesn't look so friendly."

"It's a long story. And he's not my dad," sighed Rogue. "Now help me up these stairs."

_Bamf_. Grab. _Bamf_.

"Kurt! No teleporting strangers!" Rogue said, clearly annoyed. Her brother shrugged and offered her an apologetic look.

"I'm gonna be sick," muttered Matt as he rushed to the nearest open window and heaved his stomach contents out, which landed on an unfortunate Logan. Seeing what he had done, Matt tried not to laugh. And failed.

"I'm gonna kill that kid," growled Logan and he walked back into the mansion, unsheathing his claws. Bobby, who had also seen what had happened, wisely chose to head in the opposite direction. There was no need to get in the line of fire.

Rogue turned to Professor Xavier. "Professor, I was attacked by Mystique and the Brotherhood and th-"

"I know what happened Rogue, don't worry about it. I managed to modify the memories of the other people who were there, and they will not remember anything." He switched his gaze over to Matt, who was still looking a little ill. "Mr. Quincy, I presume?"

"Matt, please. My grandfather is Mr. Quincy." Rogue couldn't help but notice that he had said grandfather, and not father.

"Matt. You are a mutant, aren't you?" _I am a mutant as well._

"You just- you just said that in my head!"

"Yes, I did. I am a telepath, as are several other students at this Institute."

"You're kidding me. This place is a mutant school?"

Xavier nodded. "Here, there is no prejudice against you for your abilities, and you will be treated as you should be."

"Sounds like a dream come true." Matt's voice adopted a bitter tone when he continued. "I was ran out of my last school for being a mutant. Called me a freak."

The Professor smiled sadly. "Such is the way of humanity, unfortunately. Fear always gets the better of us." He paused. "Matt, would you mind demonstrating your powers?"

The guy shook his head and plucked a small rock from a flower pot. Green sparks flew from his fingertips and the rock's outline wavered, before turning into a liquid. Matt waved his hand around and the blob of rock followed his movements.

"That's fascinating!" noted Xavier. "And you have total control?"

"Not completely. My father taught me how to keep my powers in check but ever since he… you know," Matt's voice trailed away and he looked pointedly at the Professor, who nodded in understanding.

"I'm very sorry for your loss, Matt."

"Thanks." There was an awkward silence. "So, do you have a free room here? I'm just crashing at a friend's house at the moment, and this place sounds really good."

"No problem, Matt, but are you sure your grandfather would be okay with this?"

"Of course! He would jump through hoops to get me into a place like this!"

Xavier smiled and offered him a handshake. "Well then, let's get you sorted. Rogue, take Matt here to see Storm and get some accommodation arranged. Oh, and one last thing. Welcome to the Xavier Institute."


	2. Chapter 2

**X-Men Evolution**

**A New Face**

Matt followed Rogue down the hallway, looking very impressed. "This place is huge!"

Rogue rolled her eyes. "If ya've lived here as long as Ah have, ya'd think otherwise. It's hard to get any peace and quiet around here." There was a muffled sound of an explosion, followed by several angry shouts of threats. "Ya see what Ah mean?"

"It can't be all bad..." He noticed Bobby shooting beams of ice at Jubilee, who dived out of the way and returned the favour, hitting him in the chest and knocking him over. "I stand corrected."

After gloating at a dazed Bobby, Jubilee turned her head and immediately recognised Matt, who also seemed to realise who she was. "Oh shucks," he said under his breath. "It's Jubes."

"Ya know her?"

Matt shifted a bit. "Um, yeah… we're, uh, old friends, and we used to, um, you know…" Rogue raised an eyebrow at the approaching girl.

"Hey! Matt!" exclaimed the brunette. Giggling nervously, she continued. "So, have you given any thought to what I said?"

"Jubes, I'd love to, but I have... previous engagements, so to speak." Matt shot a quick glance at Rogue, who returned it with a prim smile and a glare which threatened severe bodily harm. Jubilee noticed this and a smile grew on her face.

"So Kitty was right! Excuse me, some people owe me money." With that, she ran off and left the two standing there. Rogue tapped her foot and crossed her arms.

"Got anything ta say for yaself, Matt?"

"I think it is customary for the condemned man to have one last request." Rogue nodded, smirking. "Uh, please don't kill me."

"Ah'll take that under advisement."

Matt grinned. "Although, I'd have to say jealousy is very cute on you." Seeing the glare Rogue was giving him, he continued to smile.

Rogue led him into the lounge area, where she found Storm and Logan, who still looked a bit miffed, sitting together holding hands. She stood there with a look of shock clearly etched on her face. Logan noticed them and their hands flew apart.

"What is it, Stripes?" He saw Matt behind her trying to look inconspicuous. "And what is that kid still doing here?"

Rogue was still standing there a little dazed by what she had seen but snapped back into reality at the question. "Uh, the Professor's letting Matt stay here. He's a mutant like us."

"And?"

"I need a room," said Matt. "You're Storm, right?"

Ororo stood up and offered him her hand. "Ororo Munro, or Storm. Pleased to meet you."

"Matthew Quincy. Matt's fine, though."

"Okay, Matt, you'll be bunking with another two boys, Roberto and Bobby. You know them?"

"The guy who shoots ice? Yeah. Roberto... no."

"Don't worry about Roberto, you'll like him. Now, Rogue, could you take Matt there please? Logan and I have some unfinished business."

"Sure! Sure! No problem!" answered Rogue hurriedly. She shot out like a bullet and Matt took off after her. Storm turned back to Logan with a smile and pecked him on the lips.

"I'm looking forward to tonight, Logan," she said. "I was wondering when you'd finally ask me out."

Logan responded with a smile of his own. "Well, I'm thinking I should've asked you earlier."

Rogue shuddered as she walked down the hallway and made a face. "Bleugh."

"I think they make a cute couple," quipped Matt. They rounded a corner and stopped in front of a scuffed door. Rogue knocked on it and it swung open, revealing a very messy room.

A mound of clothes shifted and a bleary-eyed teenager crawled out, squinting at the light. "Wha?" he said.

"Wow. I am lost for words."

Rogue frowned at Roberto, who made a passing attempt to stand up but slipped, falling flat on his face. "Don't tell me ya were drinking? Ya know Logan will kick yah ass from here ta next week!"

Roberto waved a hand. "It was nothing like that." An empty beer can rolled from the table and hit the ground with a clang. "Okay, maybe it was a little like that. But I have a good defence." He burst out crying. "I got dumped!"

Matt eyed the weeping boy with wonder. "I'm beginning to think moving here is a really bad idea..."

Rogue nudged him hard in the ribs and hissed, "Ya're not helping! Help him up! Now!" Matt gave her a mock hurt look and approached Roberto, helping him up.

"Now what?"

"Bring him with ya. We're going someplace special." They made their way to the end of the hall, where Rogue tapped a code into a keypad. Elevator doors swung open and they got in.

The hungover kid started drooling over Matt's shirt and muttering incoherently, and Rogue suppressed a smirk at the sight. Matt, on the other hand, looked like he was going to flip. The doors slid open and they headed to the medbay.

"Dr. McCoy?" inquired Rogue. The blue man turned around and Matt almost jumped in fright. "Roberto was drinking last naht and now he's hungovah."

Hank sighed and helped Matt to place Roberto on a bed. "Logan's not going to be pleased," he said whilst drawing a clear liquid into a syringe. "I'll give him a little something to clear the alcohol out of his system. He should be fine in around two hours."

Matt ran his hand through his hair. "This place sure is full of excitement."

"Ya'll get used ta it. Eventually."

Noticing the new face, Hank smiled. "You're new here, aren't you?"

"Yeah. I'm Matt Quincy."

"Hank McCoy, or Beast. Pleased to meet you." Something clicked in his head. "You're not related to James Quincy, are you?"

Rogue noticed the subtle change in his demeanour at this question. "Yeah," Matt replied. "He was my dad."

"I heard about what happened and I'm sorry. He was a good man."

"Yeah. So everyone keeps telling me." He cleared his throat. "Uh, I'll be heading off now, the day's been pretty exhausting. 'Night Rogue, Dr. McCoy." Without another word, Matt slipped away.

"Uh, Dr. McCoy, what exactly happened ta Matt's father? He clams up everytime people mention him."

"James, Matt's father, was a very wealthy businessman, but he was also a mutant. Telekinetic. Anyways, he used his money to help other mutants in need." Hank took of his glasses and started polishing them. "Several years ago, James disappeared. There was an official police inquiry into it, but after six months of searching, nothing turned up, so they listed him as dead."

"Ah see…" Rogue paused to yawn widely. "Thanks, Dr. McCoy."

"No problem. Now off to bed, young lady. Tomorrow may be Saturday, but sleep always comes first."

Rogue headed back to the elevator and hit the up button. _That musta been real hard on him_, she thought. The elevator opened and Rogue walked back to her room, passing by Matt's new room. She could've sworn that she heard crying coming from inside it.

The next morning, Rogue slunk down to the kitchen with a very nasty case of bed head and sat at the table. Kitty sat next to her, looking very energetic. "Rogue!" she exclaimed.

"Please, nawt so loud. Some people haven't woken up completely."

"Whatever. Just come with me! Quickly! Before you totally miss the show!" Kitty took off running again and Rogue groaned before getting up to follow her friend. She went down the hallway and found a bunch of girls clustered around the corner. "What's going on?" she asked sleepily, rubbing her eyes.

"Sshhhh!" hissed Amara. "You'll give us away!"

"Ta who?" Rogue took a look down the hall and saw a familiar figure hanging upside down doing sit-ups. "Ya have gotta be kidding me."

"He's been working out since eight without any breaks! Press-ups, chin-ups, sit-ups, the whole lot!" whispered Kitty excitedly. "He's so buff…"

The southern girl harrumphed. "Shoo, the lot of ya! Shoo! Shoo!" The other girls disbanded, muttering discontentedly, and she walked over to where Matt was doing his exercises.

"Ahem."

Matt craned his neck back. "Hello Rogue. I'll be just a moment." Quickly polishing off another twenty sit-ups, Matt swung his upper body up and grabbed onto the bar, swinging his legs back down. He dropped down with an oomph.

"Ya do know ya had quite tha audience just now."

"Nope. I don't mind, really. Just one thing, though. Were you in it?"

Rogue rolled her eyes. "Ya wish. Now hurry up or ya gonna miss breakfast."

Matt slung a towel over his shoulders. "I'm good." This earned him a stare. "What?" he asked innocently.

"Put on a shirt, Matt, or ya'll give half tha people here a heart attack." Matt merely chuckled and ran off. "Fahn, run off why don't ya?" He gave her a backwards wave. "Hmph."

The girls had gathered round the table for breakfast and were discussing the new arrival. "He is so hot!" exclaimed Amara.

Tabitha waved her hand. "I second that. He's like a younger version of Logan." At the pointed stares, she crossed her arms. "What? He is!"

Rahne took a bite of her toast. "I hear he's got his sights set on Rogue. Talk about opposite ends of the spectrum."

Scoffing, Tabitha drank from her glass. "Seriously? I find that as likely as Magneto becoming a good guy. And believe me, the chances of that happening are very, very low."

The girls continued their discussion when Matt entered, still topless, with Rogue in close pursuit with a shirt. "Ya come back here, Matthew Quincy!" she shouted.

Matt dived behind the counter and made a shushing noise at the girls. Rogue ran past, oblivious to his location, and Matt slowly peeked out above the counter. "And that's how it's done, people," he declared triumphantly. He noticed that all the girls' eyes were wide and their eyebrows were nearly reaching their hairlines. "Ah. Morning, ladies." Kitty's jaw dropped and Rahne started choking on her toast whilst Tabitha made a purring sound, eyeing him up and down.

Unfortunately for him, Rogue heard him and ran at him with the shirt. "Gotcha!" She pulled it over his head and a collective sigh rose from the onlookers.

Logan walked in with his usual cup of coffee and completely ignored the ruckus, grabbing a bagel before heading out again. He stopped at the doorway and turned. "Before I forget to tell ya, Stripes, Newbie, the Professor wants to see ya. Pronto."

"No problem. Come on, ya moron." Rogue led the way with Matt following her with an amused expression.

"You know… I'm getting the distinct feeling you only wanted me to put my shirt on so no-one else could see this," Matt remarked as he gestured to his torso.

Rogue attempted to make a witty remark but her mind had gone blank, possibly owing to the fact she caught sight of his chest and stomach. Matt grinned and she settled for a glare. "No chance in hell, Matt."

"Not even a small chance?" He gave her a puppy dog look, which she rolled her eyes at again. They knocked on Xavier's office door, and entered after being invited in.

"Good morning, Rogue, Matt." The two teens responded withe the same greeting. "Rogue, I wanted to talk to you about what happened at the cinema yesterday. It seems that Mystique is determined to bring you back under her wing."

"She can kiss mah a- sorry, Professor," Rogue finished meekly. Xavier smiled.

"I understand your sentiment, Rogue, and I assure you that we will keep an eye on her movements to make sure she doesn't come near you again. Now, Matt, I wish to talk to you about something very important."

"Does this have anything to do with the secret base you've got downstairs?"

"I see you've getting around. Yes, it does have something to do with the base downstairs. This school is a refuge for mutants, but is also the headquarters for what has been dubbed the "X-Men"."

"X-Men?" Matt quirked his eyebrow in confusion.

"The X-Men are a trained team of mutants formed to protect humanity from those of us who use their powers to terrorise others. Our current team is composed of the senior students here, along with Kurt, Kitty and Rogue."

"Let me guess... you want me to join."

"Of course, I will appreciate it if you do, but it is entirely your own decision to make."

Matt considered for a while before answering. "I assume there is a dental plan?" he asked with a straight face and Rogue laughed. "Just a joke. Professor, I would love to. When do I start?"

"Let me first introduce you to our instructors." The Professor gestured to the students entering his office. "This is Scott Summers, or Cyclops, Jean, and I believe you have already met Storm and Logan."

Logan gave Matt a withering glare which made him want to shrink away, and Storm, noticing this, swatted him on the arm. Scott stepped forward to introduce himself. "As the Professor said, I'm Scott, and I'm the leader of the team. If you don't mind me asking, but what can you do?"

Xavier patted his student on the shoulder. "All in due to time, Scott. Let's get Matt a uniform first."

The instructors led Matt and Rogue down into the X-Men headquarters, where they headed to the changing rooms. "So, do I get to choose what I wear?" asked Matt.

"Yes, but you'll have to wear the standard training uniform when your suit's getting made," replied Storm, handing him the clothes. "You can tell us what you want after the session."

Matt nodded and went into a changing cubicle, promptly returning fully changed five minutes later. He followed Logan and Scott into the Danger Room, whilst Storm, Jean and Rogue headed to the observation deck.

"Run test program alpha-one," requested Logan and their surroundings shimmered, changing into a rocky canyon-like area. "Listen up, Newbie. First we'll give ya a chance to demonstrate your powers, then we'll put you through a standard obstacle course. Capische?"

"Yup." Without further delay, Matt removed the obstructing yellow gloves from his hands and placed his palms against the ground. Green sparks of electricity shot from his hands and the ground in front of him turned liquid. He raised his arms and the liquid rose up with them. Splaying his palms, he thrust them forwards and the liquid, as though fired from a gun, flew forwards and struck a large boulder, sending it hurtling away for some distance.

Scott whistled. "Impressive, Matt. Now for the obstacle course. Uh, Jean, can you run the program, please?" The scenery changed once again. "Thanks."

"Ya won't be timed on this so take your time. Just try to complete it."

Matt grinned cockily at Logan. "I intend to." He stood in his ready position. "I'm ready!" The instructor nodded his head and the new student took off, vaulting over the first hurdle and doing a forward roll under the next. He reached the next stage, thus activating several turrets which launched flying discs at him. Matt performed another roll, igniting his hands with green lightning as he did, and flung the viscous fluid at the incoming discs, smashing them away.

From the observation deck, Rogue could see every move Matt made and she had to admit, he was good. Which was surprising since it was his first time doing the course and she herself had taken a few tries to complete it when she first joined. "He's good."

"Agreed," came the unanimous reply from the other two women.

The floor shifted under Matt's feet and he had to quickly adjust his footing to avoid falling over. Another barrage of discs flew at him and once again he batted them away using his abilities. "Time to end this," he muttered and dashed for the flag at the end, narrowly dodging the closing walls behind him. With an exultant whoop, he reached out to take the flag, but suddenly found himself flung backwards, crashing into the wall behind him.

"I don't remember that being in the course," said Jean as she tapped on the monitor. "Oh god! Someone's put in the Magneto program into it!"

Matt groaned as he picked himself up from the floor and saw hovering in front of him a man in a red suit of armour, helmet and chestplate, with a billowing purple cape. "What the hell is this?" he shouted at Logan, who had unsheathed his claws, and Scott, who had replaced his sunglasses for his trademark visor.

"An uninvited guest," snarled Wolverine as he bound forward, diving at Magneto. The mutant simply raised a hand and sent Logan flying back, smashing him into Cyclops. Both of them lay unmoving in a heap.

"Oh great. Looks like it's just me and you, grandpa," taunted Matt. Magneto ignored him and summoned several orbs to him, and with a small wave of the hand they headed straight for Matt.

"Cancel tha program!" Rogue shouted. "He'll get killed!"

Jean furiously typed on the keyboard and frowned repeatedly. "I can't! Someone hacked into our systems and is running the Danger Room remotely! Our controls have been locked out!"

Storm hurried to the elevator. "Well, looks like we've got a problem on out hands. Come on!"

Matt rubbed his palms together and they once again burst into a glowing green colour. Running forward, he dodged two of the orbs and placed a hand on the third one as he sidestepped it. The metallic sphere disintegrated and Matt launched the liquid right back at Magneto.

The simulated Magneto, who was a far cry from its human counterpart, was unable to react quickly enough to the incoming sludge and it impacted on him with the force of a speeding train, breaking every bone in its holographic body. It dropped from the air and landed on the ground with a thump, before the hologram cancelled itself and disappeared for good.

Matt attempted a smile but cringed as he suddenly felt a stabbing pain in his right side. Looking down in horror, he saw a metal spike protruding from his chest and thick crimson blood rapidly seeping out from the wound. He staggered a few steps and dropped to his knees, clutching at his wound.

Rogue stepped out of the elevator and let out a scream as soon as she saw Matt, rushing over as fast as she could. The boy mouthed a few words soundlessly before collapsing to the floor. "No! Matt!"

Storm and Jean hurried to her side and gasped. "We need to get him to the hospital immediately," said Storm, her calm voice faltering slightly. "I'll call the ambulance and get Hank to stabilise him before it gets here."

Rogue cradled the injured Matt in her lap and tried not to cry as she noticed the navy blue uniform go darker in colour, slicked with his blood. "Stay with me, Matt, please, don't go…" she whispered quietly.

Jean tore off the long sleeve of her shirt and wrapped the makeshift bandage tightly around the wound, securing it with a knot at the back. "Rogue, we need to move him to the medbay," she said softly.

The southern girl nodded and helped Jean lift up Matt by his arms and legs, walking slowly to the exit. The doors opened and they made their way as quickly as they could to the medbay, where Hank had prepared a sterilised area. "Place him on the bed very carefully," ordered Hank. "I'm going to try and remove the spike. It's causing him to continue bleeding." He put on a pair of surgical gloves and a facemask. "Jean, seeing that you've already covered anatomy, please could you assist me?"

"Of course, Dr. McCoy. I need everyone else to leave now, okay?" Jean ushered out Storm and Rogue, the latter of whom resisted more.

Several hours later

Matt's eyelids flickered open slowly and he saw shady outlines of people standing around his bed. A brunette girl with white stripes framing her face leaned forwards and smiled brilliantly.

"Ah think he's awake," he heard her say. The others leaned forwards too and there was a massive sigh of relief as they tried to get him to respond. But his eyes were locked onto the brunette and they held each other's gaze intently for what felt like an eternity.

"Hey," Matt croaked. "I'm back." There was a loud whoop from Bobby, who had tagged along earlier, and everybody glared at him. Stupid Bobby. He tried sitting up but Rogue shook her head and pushed him back down gently but firmly.

"No getting up, Mistah," she chided him softly. "In case ya haven't noticed, there's a tube sticking outta ya chest." Matt checked and found that she was telling the truth.

"What happened?"

"When ya were doing the course, somebody hacked into the computer systems and ran a simulation of a very powerful mutant. We couldn't shut it down fast enough," Rogue's voice hitched, "and ya got hurt."

He seemed to consider the information he just received and then cracked a hopeful smile. "Did I win?"

Rogue shot him a look of disbelief. "Ya got stabbed in the chest and ya still wondering whether ya won?" At Matt's puppy dog eyes, she sighed. "Yes, ya won. Which is amazing, seeing as though hardly anyone completes the course on tha first go and then goes on to beat Magneto single handedly."

The girls, who had also come along to watch Matt wake up, now had their mouths open in an "o" shape as they observed the scene between Rogue and Matt. Kitty looked as though she was about to explode with happiness whilst the others just looked jealous. Especially Tabitha.

"When can I go?" asked Matt as the doctor came in. She was a tall, middle-aged woman with shoulder length chestnut hair and had striking green eyes. She smiled kindly at him.

"Unfortunately, we're going to have to keep you here for another two weeks. You sustained a rather nasty pneumothorax and it's going to take a while for it to completely recover." She flicked through his chart. "Must have been a massive fight."

"You could say that," answered Matt. "Well, at least I've got someone to look forward to." Rogue found herself pouting at him whilst Amara and Rahne sighed dreamily, each imagining that he was talking to her.

"Right. Now, everybody, Matt here needs a rest, so I will need you to leave now. Come back tomorrow." Rogue turned to leave, but found Matt's hand grasping hers and she almost flinched, before realising she was wearing gloves.

"Ah gotta go, Matt, and ya need ya sleep."

"Fine, but promise you'll come by tomorrow. I'd rather not spend the weekend alone."

Rogue nodded and he released her hand, his fingers still lingering on it as she pulled away and left the room. Her heart had gone into overdrive and she felt slightly giddy. _Calm yaself, Rogue,_ she berated herself. _Keep it under control._

Matt smiled lightly as he watched the southern girl. _She's so beautiful… and clever and funny to boot._ Sighing, he settled himself down into a more comfortable position and slowly drifted off to sleep, greatly anticipating the arrival of the next day.


	3. Chapter 3

**X-Men Evolution**

**A New Face**

_**Hello, Matthew.**_

_Matt stirred and opened his eyes, finding himself in unfamiliar surroundings. "Hello?" he called out. "Who's there?"_

_**I'm a friend, Matthew, a friend who knows your pain. The pain hidden deep inside which you are too afraid to show anybody else.**_

_Matt narrowed his eyes. "You don't know anything about me."_

_**Oh, but I do. Your father disappeared when you were young, and you still deeply miss him. It hurts so much, doesn't it, Matthew?**_

_"Get to the point. What are you trying to say?"_

_**I can help you find your father. You only need to agree.**_

_"Am I supposed to trust you?"_

_**If you want to see him again. Goodbye, Matt. I'll see you soon.**_

Consciousness rushed back to him and Matt gasped, breathing rapidly. He looked around - same old hospital room - and rubbed his temples. _Did that actually happen?_ He glanced at the chair by his bed and, noticing an envelope on it, leaned forward to pick up. Opening it, he pulled a slip of paper out and read the phone number and name written down on it.

There was a knock at the door and Matt quickly hid the slip of paper under his pillow before calling out, "Come in!"

Rogue stepped in with a tentative smile. "Hi."

A brilliant smile formed on his face. "Hi," he replied. "So… you decided to visit me. I'm flattered."

Rogue scowled lightly, but Matt could make out the underlying grin. "Great, anothah boost for yah inflated ego."

"Ego or not, I'm still glad you came." He motioned at the chair with his hand and Rogue walked to it and sat down. "Anybody else coming?"

"No, why?"

"No interruptions." Matt shot her a wink and she blushed. "Don't tell me you wouldn't want to get with this." Rogue's face fell and Matt instantly realised his mistake. "Damn, um, I didn't mean to say that," he mumbled, embarassed. "Sorry."

"It's okay," she answered. Changing the subject, she asked, "How are ya feeling?"

"Largely fine, considering I got skewered by Buckethead. It actually doesn't hurt that much anymore." Rogue cocked an eyebrow and prodded his chest area gently with a gloved finger, causing him to wince. "Okay, maybe I was lying."

"No duh. Ya can't trick me, Matthew Quincy."

"You sure about that?" Matt grinned. "Then how come you're sitting on my bed, and not the chair?"

Rogue realised he was right and tried to move away, but something kept her there. For one reason or another, she wasn't able to lift even a finger. His closeness was over-whelming. "Ah, ah," she began and went a deep red.

Matt laughed as she slid off the bed and back onto the chair. "See what I mean?"

Another scowl. "Watch it, or ya might find yaself alone for tha rest of tha day."

"Hmph. We'll see." Rogue swatted him playfully on the arm as the door swung open again, and Natasha and her posse entered. "What are you doing here?" the cheerleader questioned.

"Ah've been keeping him company for tha whole of tha tahm he's been here, Ah'll have ya know," Rogue replied. "Why, where have ya been?" This question stumped Natasha, who decided to adopt a sneer.

The cheerleader turned to Matt. "Matt, how about we talk _alone_." She stressed the last word. "I'm sure you would like some new _and better _company." She made a move towards the bed, but Matt held up his hand.

"Actually, Natasha, I'm fine," he said. "And for your information, Rogue has been very good to be with. So, if you don't mind, I think you should leave." Natasha and her friends put up affronted looks and left, muttering "mutie sympathiser". Matt scowled after they left.

Rogue noticed this. "Ah know how ya feel, trust me on that."

The doctor walked in. "Good morning, Matt, how are you feeling?"

"Much better now." Matt looked pleadingly. "Please let me outta here."

The doctor responded with a light smile. "Well, you've improved, but that doesn't mean that the hole in your lungs is healed. You'll be here for another three weeks." Matt started to object but Rogue gave him a look, and he shut up. "Good. I'll be back in a few hours to check on you."

After the doctor left, Matt turned to Rogue, putting on his best sad face. "Rogue, why?" he whined.

"Because Ah don't want ya to get hurt again because ya were stupid and didn't listen to tha doctah," she replied. "Now stop pouting at me and stay still before ya open yah stitches."

Matt continued his pout, which Rogue found strangely adorable, and repositioned himself on the hospital bed. "One day, Rogue. One day you won't be able to resist the charm that is Matthew Quincy." Rogue scoffed.

"Are we interrupting something?" asked a gentle voice from the doorway and the two teens jumped in fright. "Oh, I didn't mean to scare you."

"It's okay, Storm," Matt replied. "Come in."

Storm entered, followed by Logan, Scott, Jean, Kurt and Kitty. "How have you been feeling?" she asked gently. "We were very worried about you."

"I'm okay, I guess. The doctor says I'll be out in three weeks." He winked slyly at Rogue. "Of course, I'm loving your visits, Rogue, and I'm definitely going to once I'm out of here. Maybe we can make it a permanent thing?"

Rogue blushed lightly and the onlookers smiled. "Glad to hear ya're okay, Newbie," Logan said gruffly. "Hate to lose ya so soon."

"Thanks, Logan." Matt turned to Storm. "So, I'm hoping I can still join the X-Men… provided I don't get stabbed in the chest again."

"Of course. Would you like to arrange your uniform now?"

"Why not?" Matt looked at himself and smiled apologetically. "Well, you're going to have to call my tailor for my measurements." This earned him several looks. "What? I have a tailor!"

An hour later, Matt had his uniform picked out and Storm stood up. "Well, this should be done by the time you are released." Logan checked his watch and shared a glance with Storm, who smiled and took his hand in hers. "If ya'd excuse us, we've got plans." They exited quickly and Rogue couldn't help but shudder.

"Ah'm still fahnding it hard to wrap mah head around it, and don't tell me y'all don't." They nodded.

Kitty snuck next to Rogue and tapped on her shoulder. "Hey, Rogue, like, are you and Matt seeing each other?"

Rogue blushed furiously whilst Matt grinned mischeviously. "Well, Rogue, are we?" he asked her. "I would be more than willing to go out with you again."

Rogue tried to put on a poker face but failed quite spectacularly, and it got even worse when she tried to speak. "Ah-ah-ah mean, um, eh, lahke, ah..." Her voice trailed away and she turned even redder. _Why now! Why do I have to clam up at this moment?_

Fortunately, Kitty came to her rescue. "I like, totally think that you two should go out again! Don't you agree, Rogue!" The southern girl only nodded, not trusting herself not to stutter again.

Matt smiled. "Well, if only I could get outta here quicker."

Hours flew past and Rogue stayed by his side until the doctor kindly told her that visiting hours were ending. She started when she noticed it had already gotten dark and Matt sighed.

"Looks lahke Ah have ta go. Ah'll see ya tomorrah, 'kay?"

"Sure." Matt gave her one last bright smile. "I'll be waiting for you."

As Rogue's footsteps died away, the doctor walked to the observation windows and shut the blinds and turned to him. "Goodnight, Matt, see you in the morning." As she was leaving, Matt coughed.

"Um, doc, can I borrow a phone?" he asked. "Just want to tell somebody I'm alright."

"No problem, just use the phone on the wall next to your bed." With another wave, the doctor strolled out and after she was gone, Matt reached under his pillow and retrieved the letter he had gotten.

"Hey, bub," growled a voice from the door. "What ya got there?"

"Nothing you should concern yourself with." Matt placed the paper back under his pillow. "What do you want, Logan?"

"I didn't want ta say anythin' when everyone else was here, but I got the feeling you're holding something back from us. You got something you wanna tell me?"

"It's none of your business."

"It is if you want to join the X-Men." Logan turned away and began to leave, but stopped midstep. "Newbie, if ya care about her, ya'll know what to do."

"I've got no choice in this, Logan. You don't know what I've been through."

"Trust me, I know. I've gone through worse."

Once Logan had left, Matt sighed. "I'll know what to do, huh?" _It's not that easy_, he thought. Before he came to Bayville, he would have pounced on any opportunity to find his father. _Damn stupid feelings. Rogue's got my priorities all mucked up._

Taking one last look at the slip, he sighed again before scrunching it up into a ball and tossing it into the wastepaper basket across the room. "The things I do for a girl."

Somebody tutted from the shadows. "Well, why did you do that? I could have helped you."

"You're Essex?"

"Please, call me Sinister. And oh, you should be blacking out any time… now."

* * *

><p>The following day, Rogue stood outside Scott's door and knocked. "Scott? It's Rogue." The door swung open but instead of the expected shade-wearing guy, Jean answered the door, and she looked very disheveled. <em>Looks lahke somebody had fun last nahght.<em>

It didn't bother Rogue at all, which she found deeply relieving. She had been nursing a crush on Scott for the greater part of two years, and hated it whenever Jean swooped in to hold hands, kiss and whatnot. But now, she didn't feel a slightest twinge of jealousy. _Mebbe it's Matt_, a little voice whispered in her head, to which Rogue had to privately agree.

"What is it, Rogue?" asked Jean sleepily. Scott appeared besides her, his glasses slightly askew.

"Ah was hoping that Scott could drive me ta tha hospital. Could ya?"

Scott looked at Jean, who nodded, and turned to Rogue. "Sure, I guess. Let me get dressed first." A few minutes later, Scott emerged from his room and he and Rogue went down to the garage to fetch his red sportscar.

After a short drive, they pulled up in the hospital car park and got out, with Rogue speeding off to the hospital lobby. Scott raised an eyebrow and, locking the doors, headed into the hospital as well.

Minutes later, Rogue opened the door to Matt's room and frowned. "Excuse me!" she called to a nurse in the corridor. "Can ya help me?"

The nurse hurried over. "What is it, miss?"

"Yeah, a friend of mahn is staying in this room, his name is Matthew Quincy," Rogue said politely. "Ah was wondering where he was moved."

The nurse gave her a confused look. "There's been nobody in that room for over a week. Are you sure this was his room?" Rogue nodded. "Come with me. I'll check the hospital's database." Leading Rogue to the front desk of the lobby, the nurse went behind the counter and checked on the computer. She looked up with a frown. "Sorry, but it says here no-one by the name of Matthew Quincy's been admitted here. You must be mistaken." There was a shout from across the hall. "I'm sorry, I need to go, there's a patient going into cardiac arrest." The nurse took off running, shouting for a crash cart.

Rogue's blood boiled in her veins and she stormed out, fuming angrily. She didn't even notice Scott in front of her and barged into him, pushing him aside. He looked at her with surprise.

"Hey! Rogue! Hey!" Scott called after her, heading out of the hospital. She was surprisingly quick, seeing as though she had already strapped herself into the front passenger seat. "What was that about? Aren't you going to see Matt?"

"According ta tha hospital's database, he wasn't even there!" She growled in frustration. "I checked his room. He's disappeared!"

"What! Are you sure?"

"Well, him naht being here seems like pretty solid proof." _Gawd, Scott is such a stick in tha mud sometahms._

"I'll contact the Professor immediately. Don't worry, Rogue, we'll get him back."

Rogue reached into her pocket and withdrew a scrunched up paper ball, and smoothed it back out. "Ah found this in tha bin in his room. A phone numbah of a Nathaniel Essex."

* * *

><p>Matt awoke with a start and immediately began to struggle against the restraints keeping him fastened to the bed. "Let me go!" he shouted. "I'll kick your ass!"<p>

"Ah, so you're awake," said a man. Matt recognised his voice.

"Essex? What the hell do you want with me?"

"Your powers. I want them." Essex began to pace around the table. "Ever since that memorable performance of yours against Magneto, I've had my eye on you, waiting for the right moment to pounce."

"You hacked the DR systems!"

"Yes." The man smirked. "It's a pity you got hurt in the process, but fortunately I've dealt with that problem. Your lungs are fine now. Anyways, as I said, the reason why you are here is because of your mutation."

"What about it?"

"Did you know that your abilities are not yet fully developed? Your manipulation of matter has been, up till now, limited by the boundaries others have set you. With my… research, your true potential will be realized."

"I don't want your help!" Matt tried activating his powers but instead of glowing green, his hands obstinately remained their usual colour. "What did you do to me?"

"Precautions, I'm afraid," Essex replied. "A simple serum injected into the bloodstream, temporarily nullifying the effects of the mutant genome. It rather pained me to develop it." He tapped on a console and several robotic arms dropped down from the ceiling and positioned themselves above marked points on Matt's body. "So. Shall we begin?"

* * *

><p>"I've been unable to detect Matt using Cerebro, but I've managed to identify our Mr. Essex." Xavier tapped on the keyboard in front of him, bringing up a holographic display of a tall dark-haired man dressed in a labcoat. "Nathaniel Essex was a scientist employed in the genetics division of the government. He was heavily involved in the creation of several bioweapons.<p>

Essex pursued in his own research the secrets behind human genetics, but in order to achieve his results his ethical code bece more and more twisted until he began to use live subjects in his experiments. As a consequence of this, the government shut him down but he disappeared before he could be apprehended."

"So what could he want with Matt?" asked Jean.

"I can only guess, but I suspect Essex is now turning his attention to the X-gene and more specifically, the powers it endows."

"How are we supposed ta fahnd this Essex?"

"We can only wait, Rogue. Until he uses his powers we will be unable to locate him." Rogue slumped back on her chair, crestfallen.

"I'll try ta track him," Logan spoke up. "He must have left a trail. No-one's that careful. I'll be back before sundown."

Xavier began to nod but suddenly cried out in pain, clutching his head. Jean rushed to his side. "Professor! Professor!"

"It's Matt," the Professor gasped. "Essex is doing something to him." He cringed again as another mental wave of pain hit him. "I know where he is."

"Let's move, X-Men!" Scott and the team suited up quickly and within minutes the Blackbird was in the sky. Rogue's hands clenched hard on the arm rests of her seat and she looked mad enough to throttle Essex to death with her bare hands.

The Blackbird cloaked as it began its descent and banked steeply, landing quietly on an empty stretch of land close to an abandoned warehouse. "Okay, this is how it's going to go," Scott said, having taken the liberty to draw up the plans for the rescue mission earlier. "Logan, you're going to be the distraction. Go through the roof and draw their attention, and try to remain free as long as you can. Kitty, Rogue and Jean, phase through the wall closest to us and locate Matt. I and Storm will hold them off as you bring him out. Understood?" There was a general nod. "Okay, let's go, people!"

Wolverine scaled the wall quickly and positioned himself above a crack in the roof, and sniffed for scents. The kid's scent was very strong so he was definitely there. He sniffed again, picking up another person who he assumed was Essex. Unsheathing his claws, Logan ripped through the roof and jumped down, bringing a large section of it down with him.

"Hand over the kid, Essex!" he snarled at the scientist, who merely smiled at him and gestured with his hand. Wolverine turned to see several armed guards taking a formation behind him and a grin grew on his face. "Bad idea, bub." He lashed out at a heavy looking supporting beam with all his strength.

The steel proved to be no match for the adamantium claws, which sliced through it like a knife through hot butter, and with a despairing creak, the beam collapsed, bringing down a large section of the overhanging balcony. This trapped several of the guards underneath and forced the ones still standing to run and take cover. Logan used this time to dash forward and lay havoc to the rest of the building.

Whilst all this was happening, Kitty phased her, Rogue and Jean through the other side of the warehouse and they silently made their way over to where Matt was strapped down. Rogue removed her glove and stepped quietly towards Essex, her hand stretching towards his neck.

"Tut tut tut, little Anna Marie, what would Mommy say about all this behaviour?" Essex asked in a mocking tone as he turned to face her.

"Watch yah tongue, mistah, or Ah'll make sure it nevah moves again," the southern girl threatened. Noticing the robotic arms still hovering over Matt's prone form, she continued. "What did ya do ta him?"

"It's a surprise, although you'll see soon enough." The scientist smirked and gave her a little wave. His form flickered and cut out as the holographic projector cut out.

"Gawd dammit!" Rogue growled as she marched to where Matt was strapped down and helped Kitty to unstrap him. Matt began to stir. "Matt? Can ya hear me?"

"It hurts," Matt groaned. "Burning… inside…" As he sat up, his palms flicked upwards and the air around him rippled. Rogue and Kitty were blown off their feet and landed a few metres away.

"That was totally not the thank you I was hoping for." Kitty muttered. Rogue ignored her.

"What is happening to me!" Matt rose up into the air, his entire body bathed in a green glow. The ground rippled and welled up, looming over the two girls, and fell. Kitty phased herself and Rogue right through it.

"Matt! Stop! It's us! Kitty and Rogue!"

"I-I-I can't control myself," the boy said tbrough gritted teeth. "Please, get out of here before I- before I-" His face contorted in pain as he screamed out, and the objects around him disintegrated.

_Matt! Listen to my voice! _Jean soothed mentally. _I'm going to help you through this. You are the one in control, not your powers._

Matt groaned again and Jean was thrown backwards, landing hard and hitting her head. She did not get back up.

Kitty phased them through the ground just as a large spike occupied the space they were just in. She ran over to the cloaked X-Jet and knocked rapidly on the side. "Scott? Storm? We have like, a totally massive problem!"

The ramp opened and Cyclops, along with Storm, stepped out. "We're coming!"

Things were not faring well for the X-Men in the warehouse. Matt was still wildly out of control amd all attempts to calm him were unsuccessful, and the team were unwilling to resort to harsher measures.

"I say we blast him!"

Rogue glared angrily at Kitty. "No-one is doing any blasting!" She checked on Jean, who was still out cold. "Ah'm going ta have ta drain him. It's our only chance."

Scott nodded. "I agree. Storm, Logan, let's give him something to concentrate on!" The three of them leapt out from behind their cover and dashed from side to side, drawing Matt's attention away.

Kitty stuck her head through the wall. "It's clear. Come on, Rogue, let's do this!" Her friend took her hand and they phased through the wall and headed directly for Matt, who was still floating mid-air. The ground wobbled underneath them and a yawning crater opened up in front of them, which they narrowly avoided falling into.

"Kitty! Can ya get me up onta that bit of platform!" Rogue pointed at the remaining part of metal platform.

"Like, yeah!" In a blink of an eye, the southern girl was standing on the platform. "She took a deep breath and slid both her gloves off. "Here goes nothing." With a run up, she jumped off the platform and landed on Matt, breaking his concentration enough for both of them to drop to the ground.

Matt was clearly in pain - his body was all tense and he was lashing out at times. "Help me…" he gasped out just as another wave of pain shot through him. He arched his back and screamed.

Rogue watched on in horror as her friend (scratch that, let's make it boyfriend) continued spasming. "Matt," she whispered, "Ah'm going to help ya, but this is gonna hurt a little. Just bear with it for a little longah, 'kay?" She held her hand above his forehead. "Here Ah go." With that, she pressed her hand to his skin.

The transfer was rougher than usual and it felt like somebody had hit her head full force with a sledgehammer. Her hand was begging her to let go, but still she held on. Through her strained eyes Rogue saw that Matt was relaxing and his powers shutting down. At last, she let go and, with a sigh of relief, collapsed unconscious over him.

"Rogue! _Rogue!_ _**Rogue!**_"

An hour later

Hank was attaching a monitor to Rogue's head when she suddenly sat up, and he almost tripped over backwards. "Whoa, Rogue, stay calm, you're back at the mansion, you're fine," he told her reassuringly.

"Where's Matt?" she asked. "Is he all right?"

Hank put down the brain monitor and sat down on the chair by her bed. "Matt's not doing so well. Essex injected him with a whole load of different chemicals which are wreaking havoc to his body systems."

It didn't sound good to her. "Can Ah see him?"

"Not yet, I still need to keep check on your brainwaves," Hank started, but seeing Rogue's downcast expression, he relented. "Logan's gonna have my head for this. Fine, you can go see him, but I insist that I must escort you."

"Thanks, Dr. McCoy," Rogue replied gratefully as she swung her legs over the side of the bed and stepped into her slippers. Hank led her to the holding cells, where she saw Xavier focusing intently with his fingers on Matt's head. After ten minutes, he took his hands off and shook his head sadly at an older man sitting on a chair by his bed. "I'm sorry, Mr. Quincy, but I've had no luck so far. With your permission, I would like to keep him here at the Institute until I've figured out a way to bring Matt back."

Mr. Quincy nodded. "Of course, Professor Xavier. Anything to help my boy recover." He patted his grandson's hand. "I'll see you tomorrow, kiddo. Thank you again, Professor." He shook hands with Xavier and left the room, walking past Rogue and Hank.

"Um, Professah?" Rogue queried.

"Oh, Rogue. Aren't you supposed to be in the medbay?"

"Dr. McCoy let me out to see Matt. Is his condition that bad?"

"His body's reacting erratically to every treatment we're trying. The chemicals Essex used on Matt changed something inside him and it's effectively shut itself down in an attempt to heal. I'm not sure if he's ever going to wake up."

Rogue looked sadly at the boy, who was lying unnaturally still. "Can Ah stay a while with him?"

"Take as much as you need. I'll be outside if you need me." Xavier rolled his wheelchair out and the doors closed behind him. Rogue walked over to Matt's side and placed a gloved hand on the side of his face. "Matt," she whispered softly. "Ya silly idiot, what did ya do?" She let her hand drift down to clasp gently onto his, intertwining their fingers together, and hung her head, sighing.


End file.
